Various cervical collars have been developed for treating conditions of the neck and the cervical spine. Some of these collars which are arranged to handle whiplash and other such injuries, where support for the head and neck of the patient is needed, function to partially immobilize the head and neck of the patient and relieve spasm or strain to which the neck muscles of the patient might be subjected by transferring weight or force from the head of the patient to the shoulders or adjacent areas of the patient. Other collars, arranged for complete or near complete immobilization of the head and neck of the patient, also have been developed.
Unfortunately, many patients using cervical collars develop decubitus or decubitus ulcers (also known as bed sores, pressure sores, or trophic ulcers) when wearing cervical collars. These ailments, which involve a breakdown of tissue overlying a bone, arise when tissues overlying a bony prominence are subjected to prolonged pressure against an object such as a cervical collar. In addition to affecting superficial tissues such as the skin, decubitus and decubitus ulcers also can affect muscle and bone.
Moisture and pressure are two of the major factors which contribute to the formation of decubitus. Once a decubitus ulcer forms, it is like an iceberg having a small visible surface with an extensive base of unknown size. There is no good method of determining the extent of tissue damage. Once started, decubitus can continue to progress through the skin and fat tissue to muscle and eventually to bone. Once started, decubitus is very difficult to treat and arrest. In extreme cases, surgical replacement of bone, muscle and skin are required to restore that portion of the body of the patient where decubitus has formed.
Consequently, it is desirable to eliminate or at least minimize the effect of pressure points when using cervical collars. The likelihood of contracting decubitus can be greatly reduced by a more even distribution of pressure to a number of parts of the body of the patient.
A feature, preferably included in cervical collars to overcome limited adaptability to accommodate the body of the patient and the particular ailment prompting the need for wearing a cervical collar, is the facility for adjusting the relative positions of various components of the cervical collar. Currently available cervical collars generally lack such a feature.
A shortcoming of currently available cervical collars worn by children is that they have been designed by simply scaling down adult cervical collars. Such designs fail to take into consideration the considerable difference in the anatomy of a child and the anatomy of an adult.